A Tale of Betrayal
by Buckminster Rules 777
Summary: Silver is a weasel and the father of three. One day, he is betrayed by his friend, resulting in the death of his mate and two oldest kits. How will his and his remaining kit's lives change when they meet Buck and the herd? And will he find the truth as to what happened when Silver's mate and kits were attacked? Time will tell whether or not this tale ends with betrayal.
1. Prologue

My name is Silver. I am officially clanless. In other words, I am on the run. I need not tell anyone who or what I am on the run from. All anyone needs to know is that I have my youngest daughter, Rose, with me. I swore that I'd protect her. I always will as long as I live.

That is why I'm running. I'm running for her sake, not mine. I could care less about my life. Enough about that, though. This is my story. The story of the weasel outcast.


	2. Chapter 1: The Underworld

I am running on all four paws, with my daughter grasped firmly between my jaws by her scruff. She's crying loudly. I only wish that I could comfort her. I find that hard to do, though, with her in my mouth. Instead, I can only run. I hope that I'll be able to protect her from the demons that I'm fleeing from.

After running for a couple of miles, I begin to grow tired. I don't realize how thin the ice is until I stagger onto it. Spider web cracks begin to form under us. The ice breaks, sending us into oblivion.

I don't know much of what happened when we fell through. All I know is that I wake up on my back with Rose laying on top of me. I must've flipped over to protect her. I place my arm over her. She wakes up and begins to cry again. At least I know she's still alive.

I hold onto her with my left arm as I stumble to my paws. My head is pounding. My right wrist is broken. I can't even move it without gasping. My ankle, I know, is sprained. I can at least put pressure on it. Rose appears to be uninjured. All of her crying is probably caused by hunger and fear.

I look around for the first time since the fall. I am shocked by what I see. Dinosaurs! I thought they were supposed to be extinct?! _Well…as long as we don't run into any carnivores…oops…spoke too soon…_

I pause in my inner dialogue at the sight of a giant, white monstrosity. He turns and spots us. He roars at us and charges us. I think that I know what he's thinking: These tourists will make a good meal.

Forgetting my sprained ankle, I dart off, Rose held tightly with my left arm. I feel the monster's hot breath coming just behind my tail. I run faster and faster, trying to escape certain death.

I run into a clearing. I am surprised to see a group of mammals there consisting of two mammoths, two possums, and a Saber. There is also a weasel with a leaf eye patch covering his right eye. There's no time to think. "Run!" I shout, just as the beast enters the clearing.

The one-eyed weasel immediately takes action. "Quick! Go wi' th' herd! I'll 'old 'im off!" He shouts to me. With a quick nod, I begin to flee with the herd.

By the time that we lose the beast, I can barely keep up. My ankle is killing me. I groan. The female mammoth hears me. "Hey! What's wrong?" She asks.

I look up at her in surprise. "I…well…I jus' fell down 'ere an' I injured my wrist an' ankle in th' fall…" I explain hesitantly.

"Is she your daughter?" She asks, pointing to my kit.

"Yes," I answer simply.

"Whe-ah is her mothah?" The other weasel from earlier asks as he comes out of nowhere.

"She 'as no mothah…Don' ask 'bout wot 'appened ta 'er! I ain't talkin'!" I give the weasel a warning growl.

He puts his paws up in a non-threatening gesture. "Alright! Alright! I won' ask! Now, th' name's Buck, short fer Buckminster an' long fer Buh! Wot's yer name?" Buck asks.

"My name's Silver. My daughter's name is Rose," I answer. Rose giggles at the sight of Buck. "Huh! She's usually shy 'round strangers!" I say, surprised.

"Well! I guess she must 'ave good taste, then!" Buck laughs.

I roll my eyes at the insane weasel. I sit down on a log. Forgetting about my broken wrist, I place that paw on the log. I gasp at the pain, hissing slightly through clenched teeth. Rose can sense my pain. She begins to cry. "Shhh, Rose, I's 'kay! Daddy's 'kay!" I try to shush her. I don't want anymore unwanted attention to come our way. She stops crying and nuzzles me. I smile at her.

"'ey, are ya injured?" Buck asks.

"Uhhh…yeah. I broke my wrist in th' fall down 'ere an' sprained my ankle. Rose is lucky. She wasn't injured at all," I reply.

"Hmmm. Well, give yer daughter at Ellie. Ya kno', th' female mammoth. She c'n care fer 'er 'til I ge' yer injuries bandaged up," Buck continues.

I wrap my arm tighter around Rose. I glare at Buck, silently asking him why I would consider trusting anyone with my daughter. Ellie comes forward. "Don't worry. I won't hurt her. I have a child on the way, you see. I would never hurt your kid," she promises.

I reluctantly hand Rose over to Ellie. "Break tha' promise an' ya will regret 't!" I growl. Ellie merely nods her head in understanding.

Buck comes closer to me. He has some leaves in his paws. "Alright, now, le's ge' yer injuries taken care ah," Buck begins. He crushes the leaves into a pulp. Buck begins to spread the pulp over my wrist. I let out a small yelp at the pain. My left eye twitches. Buck wraps a few whole leaves over my wrist and binds it. "Th' pulp will harden an' stabilize yer wrist. In othah words, ya won' be able ta move 't 'til 't heals," Buck explains.

I nod my head while groaning. Buck begins to work on my ankle. That hurts significantly less, considering that my ankle is only sprained. After he is finished bandaging it up, Buck turns to me. "I'd suggest tha' ya stay off yer paws fer a fe' days, bu' I kno' ya won' listen. Jus'…ride on Ellie. 'kay?" Buck suggests.

I sigh. "Fine," I reply.

I get to my paws, wincing at the pain in my ankle. I limp over to where Ellie is. I look over to see my kit resting, held gently in Ellie's trunk. I look up at Ellie. "Thanks. 'm…'m sorry fer no' trustin' ya. I's jus'…I recently lost my mate an' two othah kits," I explain.

"It's alright. I'm sorry for your loss," Ellie smiles sympathetically at me.

"Thanks. Maybe, someday, I'll tell all ah ya wot 'appened ta them. Jus'…no' now," I reply.

"I understand. Hey, if you want, I can watch Rose for a little bit. It'll give you time to get some rest," Ellie offers.

I blink up at her, surprised. "Thanks. Though, I doubt I'll be doin' much restin'…" I trail off with depression lacing my tone.

"Thinking about your mate?" Ellie asks.

"Yeah," I sigh.

"'ey, wot was 'er name anyway?" Buck asks.

"Lauren. Now, will ya quit wi' th' questions?" I growl, my temper rising.

I limp away from them, only to be stopped by Buck landing in front of me. "'ey! Don' be goin' off th' trail, now!" Buck places his paws up as if to stop me.

"Listen 'ere! I wan' ta be left 'lone, so if 'm ta stay on th' trail, tha' means ya 'ave ta stop askin' questions! Am I clear?" I growl the question.

"Crystal," Buck answers.

"Good. Now, c'n we rest 'ere, or do we 'ave ta find somewhere else?" I ask.

"We'll camp 'ere tonight," Buck answers.

"Then, good night! I'll see ya in th' morning!" I smile in fake cheerfulness. I build a nest of leaves. I curl up on top of it. I yawn. I close my eyes and fall asleep. I am confident that Ellie will take good care of Rose for the night.


	3. Chapter 2: The Next Day's Journey

The next morning, I wake up to the insistent poking of a stick. I groan and crack one eye open. I see that Buck is the one poking me. "'ey! Quit tha'!" I shove the stick away.

"Then, ge' up! I's time ta ge' movin'!" Buck throws the stick away.

I roll my eyes. I stumble to my paws, wincing as pain shoots through my ankle. I limp over to where Ellie and Rose are. Rose squeaks softly and reaches her paws out to me. I pick her up carefully, mindful of my injured wrist. "ow's daddy's li'l girl today?" I ask, smiling.

Rose giggles. She then does something that I don't expect. "Da…da…daddy!" She squeals.

My smile widens. "Yer first word!" I laugh, hugging Rose. I feel her little arms wrap around my neck.

Buck comes up to us. "She spoke fer th' first time, eh?"

"Yeah, she did. I jus' wish 'er mothah could be 'ere ta hear 'er," I sigh. My ears are pressed flat against my head.

"I c'n see whe-ah yer comin' from. 'm sorry fer wot 'appened ta yer mate, by th' way," Buck replies. He places his paw on my shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"I's fine. Thanks," I mumble.

"Tell me, did ya evah cry since ya lost them?" Buck asks.

"No," I answer honestly. I didn't even have the time to cry. All that I was thinking of was getting us away alive.

"Well, why don' ya, then?" Buck asks.

"The-ah's no time. Besides, I don' wan' a audience ta watch me cry. Whe-ah's th' fun in tha'?" I scoff at the idea.

"Then, we'll go 'way a short distance. Ya c'n cry 'lone. Is tha' wot ya wan'?" Buck asks.

"Tha's no' 'ow 't was meant ta be. 'm no' s'posed ta be 'lone…" I mumble. I can feel tears building up. I blink my eyes, holding my tears back.

Ellie comes up to me. "Here, let me take Rose." She wraps her trunk gently around Rose. Ellie and the rest of the herd enter the forest.

Buck is the only one remaining with me. He places his left arm around my shoulders. "Go ahead an' cry. I c'n tell tha' ya wan' ta. Go ahead. I won' laugh or tell anyone," Buck smiles softly at me.

My eyes water some more. This time, I can't hold the tears back. They begin to fall. I sniffle. Buck pulls me towards him. I bury my face into his chest as I begin to cry, softly at first. My cries soon turn to sobs. I am shaking from the sobs. Buck holds me. He rubs his paw over my back, shushing my frequent whimpers.

Soon, my crying begins to slow down. I pull away from Buck. I use my good paw to wipe away my tears. I look up at Buck. My face is turning red from the embarrassment. "I…uh…'m sorry 'bout tha'…" I mumble.

"No, I's 'kay! The-ah's nothin' wrong wi' cryin'," Buck assures me.

"Thanks. Now, le's ge' outta 'ere!" I get to my paws, albeit slowly considering the pain in my ankle.

"'ey! If ya wan' ta live, then follow me!" Buck shoves himself up in the lead. We find the herd with no problem at all. With Ellie's insistence, I climb on her back for the trip. She hands me Rose. Together, we sit on Ellie for this next phase of the journey.

Later that night, we make camp in a clearing. Buck, apparently, has an idea on how to liven the night. Buck wants to tell us all a story of sorts about what happened to him when he first came here.

Against my better judgment, I listen to him. I can't help but admit my curiosity. I listen as Buck spins his tale on how he lost his eye to Rudy, the white dinosaur that chased us before.

During the story, when Buck gets to the part about being swallowed, Rose gets scared and whimpers. I carry her to the nest of leaves that I made for her earlier. I manage to get her to sleep. Once she is asleep, I return to where Buck is still telling his story. When the story is finished, he comes over to me. "So, wot did ya think?" Buck asks.

"Why would ya care? Ya give me th' impression ah someone tha' doesn't care 'bout othah's opinions," I point out.

"Well, yer wrong 'bout tha'. I do care, perhaps more than I should. I mean…I's no' like we're friends or anything," Buck says the last part with a tone laced with depression.

I pick up on it. "Ya don' 'ave many friends, do ya?" I ask, though I already know the answer.

"None, actually. I nevah really 'ad friends before. Everyone up the-ah thought tha' I was strange. They nevah wan'ed anything ta do wi' me…" Buck sighs.

"Well, 'ow 'bout I change tha'? Ya c'n be my friend? An'…don' take thi' offer lightly. Th' last friend I 'ad betrayed me in th' end. Ya should be surprised tha' I already trust ya," I smile and wink at Buck.

Buck is staring at me. He's clearly surprised by my offer. "Ya…wan' ta be friends…? I…I don' kno' wot ta say…" Buck trails off.

"Ya c'n say yes so tha' ya c'n quit moping 'bout!" I laugh jokingly.

"Friends 't is, then!" Buck sticks out his left paw.

"Friends 't is!" I reply while shaking Buck's paw.

When our little pawshake is done, I grab a little midnight snack consisting of…an apple. Then, I go over to where Buck is. I stare into the fire. "Am I yer first friend?" I ask.

"Yes. Like I said before, I nevah really 'ad friends. No one liked me when I was a kit. I kinda go' used ta bein' 'lone," Buck explains.

"Wot 'bout yer parents?" I ask.

"They…they were killed by Sabers. I…I was still jus' a kit at th' time. I 'ad ta care fer myself," Buck answers.

"I kno' wot tha's like. Same thing 'appened ta my parents. I was also quite li'l at th' time. I found my way ta a nearby weasel clan. They kinda took me in," I explain.

"Oh. So, wot 'appened in yer clan tha' made ya leave?" Buck asks.

"Tha' is a story fer anothah night. I'd rathah no' mention 't right now," I reply.

"Tha's alright. I understand," Buck puts in.

"Ya kno', despite everything tha' we've bin through, at least we don' 'ave ta be 'lone anymore," I smile. I yawn. "'m gonna go ge' some shuteye. Wot' 'bout ya?" I ask.

"I'll keep watch. Jus' ge' some sleep," Buck replies. I nod my head. I curl up on a soft pile of fuzzy red leaves. I yawn again. My eyes close. Soon, I am fast asleep in this deadly paradise.


	4. Chapter 3: The Plates of Woe

The next day, I manage to wake up before Buck can prod me with a stick again. I yawn and stretch as I try to fully wake up. I look around. I see my daughter. She's squirming. I know that she's also waking up. Her eyes open. She begins crying. I go over to her. "Shhh. Hush, now. Are ya hungry? I'll ge' ya something' ta eat," I smile at Rose.

"'ey, is everything alright?" Buck asks from behind me.

"Yeah. I jus' 'ave ta ge' Rose some food," I answer.

"Le' Ellie watch Rose fer a while. I'll 'elp ya find food," Buck offers.

"Alright. Thanks," I smile. I hand Rose over to Ellie. Then, Buck and I head off into the forest.

Not too long after we leave, we find a mango tree. Buck turns to me. "Does she like mangos?" He asks.

"I don' kno'. They don' grow whe-ah we lived. I'll ge' 'er ta try them," I reply. I try to climb up the tree. Unfortunately, my broken wrist makes that impossible. I fall back to the ground with a yelp.

Buck stops me from trying again. "I'll ge' th' mangos," Buck offers. He climbs the tree and quickly collects them. Buck comes back down with the makeshift sack full of mangos.

I sigh. "Really. Wot kind ah weasel am I if I can't even climb a tree?" I scoff at myself.

"Silver, yer injured. Yer gonna heal, though. 't shouldn't take too long," Buck smiles at me.

"Yeah, I s'pose so," I reply. We start heading back to camp.

When we get there, I go over to Rose. She is still crying. I cut the mango up. I try to feed her a small slice. She sniffs it. Rose turns her face away. "Come on, Rose. Jus' try 't," I whisper.

She opens her mouth. I place the slice of mango inside it. She chews it up with a thoughtful look on her face. Rose smiles and giggles, reaching for more mango. I give her more until she is full. I let her snuggle up against me while I wrap my arm around her.

Buck turns to me. "Yer a good fathah," he says, smiling.

"Thanks. I 'ave ta be both, now," I reply. I turn away from Buck when I feel tears begin to prick my eyes. I can feel the stabbing pain in my heart when I think of my mate and two other kits. I miss them…so much. I fully believe that I have failed them. It's my fault they're dead.

I don't realize that I am speaking aloud until Buck interrupts me. "No, I's no' yer fault," Buck lays his paw on my shoulder.

"'t is! I shoulda known 'ow ta pick my friends instead ah bein' friends wi' a traitor!" I growl the word.

"Wot 'appened? Who betrayed ya?" Buck asks.

"I ain't tellin' ya!" I shout. Rose whimpers at the tone of my voice.

Buck puts his paws up in a surrendering way. "Ya don' 'ave ta tell me," he says softly.

"Yer darn right I don'!" I glare. I hand Rose over to Ellie. "Now, if ya will excuse me, I need some time ta myself." With that, I turn and walk away from Buck, the herd, and my precious daughter.

A few minutes later, I find myself by the river. I kneel down at the water's edge. I feel the burning in my eyes, the kind that comes before crying. A few stray tears escape my eyes. They fall into the water, causing ripples to spread over the surface.

I start to think fully about my mate and two lost kits. I remember seeing them being stabbed to death while I was standing helplessly by. I remember feeling the pain of grief and the sting of regret. I should've been able to save them all. I should've done more.

I hear a branch snap behind me. I turn around. I see Buck standing there, a look of worry on his face. I notice the tears that are still falling from my eyes. I turn and quickly wipe them away. "Wot are ya doin' 'ere?" I ask, sniffling slightly.

"I…I wanted ta see if ya were alright," Buck answers. He comes over and sits beside me.

I look away. "'m no' alright. I nevah will be. They're dead," I whisper. My throat closes up. I can feel more tears begin to form. I bite my lip and close my eyes tightly, trying to hold the tears back.

Buck wraps his arms around me. "Go ahead an' cry. I's alright."

Those words cause the dam to break. That, and his embrace. I begin crying, softly at first. My cries soon turn into sobs. I bury my face deep into Buck's chest as I whimper and let out all of my grief. Buck strokes my back, soothing me as I cry.

When, finally, my sobs die down, I pull away from Buck. I sniffle and wipe the tears away from my eyes. I look up at Buck, my face turning red from embarrassment. "Um…maybe we should head back…" I whisper.

"We should. Jus' so ya kno', though, the-ah's nothing wrong wi' cryin'," Buck smiles at me.

I give Buck a simple nod of acknowledgement. Then, we begin to head back towards the herd.

When we return, Ellie approaches me. "Are you alright?" She asks.

"Yeah, 'm fine," I answer.

"You were crying, weren't you?" Ellie asks.

I flinch. "'ow…would ya kno'?" I ask.

"The fur around your eyes is wet," she answers simply.

I glare. "Well, wot ah 't?" I growl.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't pry," Ellie steps backward, showing that she'll leave me alone.

I give her a curt nod before picking Rose up. "Alright, shall we get going?" I suggest.

"'kay. C'mon, mammals, thi' way!" Buck leads us through the dense jungle.

After a few hours of traveling, we come across some evidence of the sloth. That evidence consists of a tuft of fur, half eaten carcass, and…broccoli. Buck's insanity comes to the fore when he goes through all the possible scenarios for what happened to the sloth. None of the scenarios make any sense. Buck would continue his speculations, no doubt, if not for Diego. Diego pulls Buck aside to reveal to him some evidence of Rudy (of course). We decide to pick up the pace to save the sloth before Rudy can get there.

Buck begins to lead us through the Plates of Woe. We begin to travel at almost warp speed. The herd's friend doesn't have much time if Rudy is after him. That's why we're obediently following Buck.

As we walk, Rose starts to get restless. She begins whining and crying. I try to get her to calm down, knowing that dinos will come at the sound of easy prey. "Please, Rose, hush. We'll ge' ta someplace safe an' rest soon, I promise," I whisper.

Rose whimpers. "Daddy. Tired," she yawns.

I stroke her forehead. "I'll carry ya. Jus' sleep," I smile while lifting her up into my arms.

Just before Rose can fall asleep, though, is when chaos unfolds. The Plates begin to collapse in on themselves. I grip Rose tightly, protectively, as we begin our descent. Luckily, when we land, Rose is completely unharmed. As for me, the worse that I sustain are a few scratches.

I place Rose on the ground so that I may dust myself off. I pick Rose back up and look around. The herd and Buck are rising to their feet. Buck dusts himself off. Manny calls to Ellie. Apparently, she was able to get to a more stable ledge and avoid falling with us. We begin to run towards where Ellie is.

A bloodcurdling roar in the distance stops us. "Rudy!" Buck growls. A scream follows. "Hm…I nevah 'eard tha' kind ah dino before…" Buck looks confused.

However, Manny recognizes the scream. "That's Sid!" He exclaims.

"We 'ave ta move fast!" Buck states. He starts to lead us off.

That's when Ellie begins to call out a series of fruit names. Those types of fruit have us all confused. We can't get what Ellie means to say. That is, until she calls out 'peaches'. Manny recognizes that as the code word for 'I'm having the baby!' Needless to say, Manny starts panicking.

The only reason he stops is because I climb onto his head and slap him across the face with my good paw. "Calm down, alright?! 't will be fine. Ya ferget tha' I actually 'ave a daughter! I kno' more 'bout thi' than ya do at th' moment!" I growl, annoyance clear in my tone.

Manny snaps out of his panic. "You're right. I'm sorry," he apologizes.

"I's fine. Buck, take th' possums an' go save Sid. I'll stay 'ere ta 'elp protect Ellie," I state.

"'kay. C'mon, boys! We 'ave a sloth ta save!" Buck and the possums race off.

I pick Rose up (I put her down when I went to give Manny a piece of my mind). I then run towards where Ellie is. Unfortunately, there seems to be some hungry dinos that want to make a meal of her.

That's where Diego steps in. "Hop on! We'll get there faster, going at my pace!" Diego speaks up. I leap onto Diego's back. I hold onto Rose with one paw and Diego's fur with the other as he races off.

When we reach the top, there is a dino positioned to attack Ellie. I grip Rose and jump off of Diego's back. Diego pounces on the dino and knocks it off of the platform. Then…he does a little victory dance.

The dance only lasts until Ellie gets annoyed. I go over to her. I place Rose down nearby on a soft pile of dirt. I turn my attention fully to Ellie. "Jus' breathe through the pain. It'll be fine. Remembah, I 'ad three children. I was the-ah wi' my mate. I kno' 'ow painful 't is an' wot ta do," I speak.

Ellie listens to me. She smiles gratefully. "Thanks, Silver," Ellie says.

"Yer welcome, Ellie. Now, on th' next contraction, I wan' ya ta push. Ready? One…two…three…push!" I shout. Ellie pushes. Within five minutes, out comes the cutest baby mammoth that I have ever seen. It's clear that she's a female.

Manny comes up behind me quite suddenly. I look up at him, seeing his face melt at the sight of his daughter. He picks his baby girl up with his trunk. "She's beautiful. I think we should call her Ellie. Little Ellie," Manny says.

"I have a better name. Peaches," Ellie suggests.

"Peaches?" Manny asks.

"Why not? She's sweet and round and covered in fuzz," Ellie continues.

"Peaches. I love it," Manny agrees.

Diego wipes a tear from his eye. Unfortunately for him, Ellie catches him in the act. Diego tries to come up with lame excuses, none of which we believe. Eventually, Diego gives up.

Just at that moment, Buck and the possums return, bringing Sid with them. They are (of course) riding a pterodactyl. Sid is in its talons. The pterodactyl drops Sid, who then lands face first in front of Peaches.

"It's a boy!" Sid exclaims stupidly.

"That's its tail!" Diego points out the obvious.

"It's a girl!" Sid corrects his earlier exclamation. He goes over and talks to Peaches in baby talk. The two possums come over as well. One tries his hardest not to cry. The other bawls his eyes out, while blowing his nose on his brother's tail.

While everyone else is fawning over Peaches, Buck comes up next to me. "I fergot wot 't was like ta 'ave a family…" He trails off.

I place my paw on his shoulder. "I kno'. Bu' hey, we 'ave each othah, don' we?" I point out.

"Yeah. Yer right. Thanks," Buck smiles at me.

"Yer welcome. Now, le's ge' outta 'ere!" I smirk while picking Rose up.

"Alright, mammals, le's ge' ya'll back up ta th' surface!" Buck shouts, already back to his usual self. Together, we begin to follow Buck in the direction from which we came.


End file.
